Brothers again
by fugitivus
Summary: Return-fic. Uchihas are back in Konoha and try to live normal live. Itachi takes care of his younger brother, who still need to redempt himself and gain the trust of Konoha people. Drama.
1. Meeting

Itachi walked in circles in front of the Konoha Prison's gate. He searched through his pockets again, although he already knew, he hadn't brought cigarettes with him. He was not a regular smoker, but in the time like this a smoke would do him good. Today his younger brother was to be released form prison. He awaited this day in fear. Truly, he didn't know what could he expect after Sasuke's one-year detention in that place. Konoha, in its way of treating the criminals and prioritizing raison d'état presented, what one could euphemistically called, "traditional approach". The existence of such institutions as this prison, secret services, facilities where research and experiments were being conducted on human reminded attentive observers that humanitarianism, the involvement in peace-making missions and elements of democracy that positively distinguished Konoha from others villages were actually just a facade for civilians or naive ninjas. Itachi, who had worked for years in the cogs of that dark system, accepted the way it was. Maybe he didn't approve all of it, but understood that peace didn't come for free.

The gate grated. Slowly the crack between massive iron grew wider and wider. Itachi's heart rate sped up. Stress crawled from the stomach to his hands, leaving them shaking. _What he will tell him? Will he manage to deal with him?_ No... It's just a guard standing between half open doors, waving at him to come closer.

"You're too late, Uchiha Sasuke has been taken to Hokage."

"Already?!" Itachi was astounded. He had been preparing for today's meeting from a long time; he'd imagined he would talk to his brother before and then accompany him to negotiate what happen next with Sasuke. "Do you have a cigarettes? Thank you."

The guard fired a cigarette for him and the gate closed with the sound of thunder. Itachi breathed in deeply trying to calm down and think as the smoke filled his lungs. He noticed, that he was not in a hurry. He felt like a kid that doesn't like school and is late or misses classes on purpose. Itachi realized that and felt ashamed. He also realized that sometimes he was thinking of his brother as a burden - he though that he would need to take care of him, worry about him, and probably try to fix him. He slowly passed the alleys. _Now it's too late_, he justified himself. He sat down on the bank in the park before Hokage's tower and finished his cigarette. _No, no, no! He behaved like a perfidious coward. That's enough! He just can't do this to his little brother._ He tried thinking about meeting Sasuke as a mission and it helped. He gathered what had left of his courage and moved to the tower.

Itachi saw his little brother sitting in the corridor near the door, behind which the council meeting should be taking place. He was not handcuffed and the guards at the corners seemed to be just normal security measures for Hokage. Sasuke was clad in black, the color matching his even darker hair, now long enough to lie on his shoulders. He was like a stain of ink on the whiteness of the walls, irregularity of his shape destroying the tranquility of the space. The boy stared at the floor in front of him, turned his head up only when Itachi already stood before him. Their eyes met. Moment later grimacing at the sudden touch Sasuke was lost in Itachi's tight embrace.

"Good to see you again, brother" – Itachi finally let him free and sat beside him.

"You've come" – said the younger Uchiha. _Was he doubting?_ After the first moment of affection awkwardness emerged.

"Sasuke? Things are good between us again, right?"


	2. Council

"Sasuke? Things are good between us again, right?"

"Mhm" Itachi hoped that was "yes".

"Listen, what's going on there?" he pointed at the council room.

"They took me here, ask some question, gave some moral preaching. Now they quarreling because Hyuuga wants me in his collection, but Ibiki likes his job even more. But you can hear almost everything they're saying if you focus."

That's true. The council meeting behind the door was definitely the loud one. Itachi could make out pieces of what they were saying.

" ... hoped he would be military useful... if we apply appropriate measures for the type like him..."

"... you have more than enough time... wasted it..."

"... useful or not... possessing him... propaganda value...show other villages that ... deal with our rough, tame every monster..." – _Monster_? Itachi didn't like the word describing his little brother but that epithet was painfully accurate. Sasuke messed up terribly and now to fix him, to make him understand his mistakes there was no other way than "the hard way".

"... appropriate... such as a clan... keep him under control...my clan gives the best guarantee...

The door finally opened and a guard called Sasuke. Obviously, Itachi came in as well. Although he was not to defend or justify Sasuke's deeds, he wanted to show – to his brother as to all other people - that Sasuke has his support.

"Uchiha Sasuke, come closer" Tsunade ordered. The fifth Hokage was sitting in the middle behind long white table. At her left were Nara Shikaku and Kakashi, at her right Hyuuga and Ibiki. The older Uchiha went to the right side of the room, but it was so small that he was no more that a few steps from his brother. It turned out to be great point to observe Sasuke profile, what he didn't dare do so openly before. The visible cheek was covered with fantastic black patterns sealing Sasuke's sharingan. He knew that there were also another seals on his torso blocking his chakra. Boy could no longer be a ninja, that was sure. Memory of how this happened flashed through Itachi's mind, giving him uneasy feeling. But soon he recalled that it's all Sasuke fault, this idiotic brother of his, who apparently hadn't learnt much in prison, because now he arrogantly eyed Ibiki.

"Why haven't I been informed?" Itachi asked in a firm tone to state that he is not somebody you could ignore.

"You managed to be in time" Ibiki shrugged his shoulders. He didn't like Uchihas and showed this on every occasion.

"What is the decision about my brother?"

"In short?" Tsunade took the floor. "Uchiha Sasuke, you are on the parole now, under my direct command exercised by myself and my supervisor. You are to report to him daily, he will assign work for you. You are prohibited from participating in military or paramilitary activities and that includes training as well. You cannot possess weapons or leave the village without my prior consent. I sustain deprivation of civil rights and protection of law.

"How long?" ask the parolee, his face unmoved like a mask.

"Oh, that's depends only on you" – Hokage came back to unofficial tone. "The rules are simple –you make troubles, you're back in prison. Try to convince us we didn't make mistake by being so lenient with you. Behave well so we will give you more freedom. Maybe we even let you serve again. The next council will be in 3 months. Today at 3 p.m. you are meeting your supervisor, captain Yamato.

"What?!" three voices simultaneously asked. Ibiki and Hyuuga stood up in indignation, Kakashi stare at Tsunade in disbelieve. Only cunning look of Nara gave away that it's notaa spontaneous idea.

"I said what I said" she ended discussion "Council is over, you can leave now."

Sasuke didn't need to hear this twice. He went out ignoring the arguing council members and even his brother. Itachi caught up with him at the stairs.

"What! I'm not worth waiting?!"

Instead of an answer Sasuke just shrugged his shoulders without looking at him.

"Ohhh, give a break! Stop acting like a child!" Itachi was already fed up. They had just met after the whole year. Itachi really hoped they would have a new start leaving behind hurt and anger, but no, his brother can't even try to be nice! "You always need to be such a pain in the ass, and then you wonder why your live sucks."

Maybe that was too much. Sasuke lost his self-confidence, put his hands in the pocket and hunched a little bit.

"Ok, ok, I just wanted to breathe some fresh air."

Their way out turned out to be not so quick as Sasuke would like to. When they went down, somebody called

"Uchiha-san!" both brothers turned hearing Kakashi's voice. But the interlocutor was interested only in one of them." Good, I thought I'll never catch you" Sasuke's former sensei said cheerfully to Itachi.

"Hatake-san"

"I wanted to ask you... maybe you could help me like the last time. Maybe you could find some time to visit me, of course if you are not to busy with your stuff – he pointed his head at Sasuke.

"No problem, I'll come" – he moved his head in gesture of goodbye. "Come on" he said to Sasuke, who was looking at Kakashi with ironic smirk on his face. In contrary, former sensei completely ignored his existence.

When they reached the park, Sasuke started to show he's disgruntled.

"So what, you're dating Hatake now?" he mocked. Itachi noticed he referred to his sensei with the family name.

"Sasuke, we haven't seen each other so long. Please, I don't want to fight."

"Sorry, It's just... this man makes me so angry! Sorry."

"I'm also sorry. There's a lot of things we have to talk about. Kakashi, he is collecting mementos about Obito. He asked me for help once.

"Ok. I don't want to talk about this man."

"Let's go home" Itachi tried to put an arm around him, but Sasuke avoided it and sped up.

"I hope you did cook dinner."

"Mhm..."


	3. New home

Itachi was living in the downtown, on the last of three floors of the tenement house. His flat consisted of one bedroom, huge living room of which one side was a kitchen corner, a balcony and a small bathroom. It was old and its condition left a lot to be desired, but the owner had made visible efforts to improve it like putting a new carpet and some decorations or utensils to turn it in a quite livable nest.

Showing the flat to Sasuke took only a few minutes. The bedroom, at the left from the living room, was big enough just to rolled out two futons (now removed as it was daytime) and fit a small table covered with tons on books and papers and a laptop, serving apparently both as a nightstand and a working place. The wall at the left was covered with a ceiling-high white wardrobe. The shifting doors to the bedroom when left fully open, made one big space with the living room.

In the living room at the corner near the window, there were two scratched armchairs and a sofa between them. One could see around some huge exotic plant for decoration, a book-case also full of stuff and a highboy. On the right, there was the kitchen made of cupboards set in the row at the wall and a low Japanese-style table at the center. Sasuke didn't see TV set or even a radio, which was typical for people who moved often.

"So, what do you think?"

"Mhm" answered Sasuke, but Itachi knew this meant approval. "You mentioned earlier that you cooked dinner, didn't you"

"But don't get accustomed to it. I'm not going to be your cook" bantered Itachi, but obediently went to heat up yakisoba, happy that Sasuke is contented.

Visit at captain Yamato's office took no longer that 15 minutes. Itachi insisted to accompany his brother. Yamato treated Sasuke cold, sometimes even contemptuously, but when you are criminal you can't expect more. Captain however didn't know how to deal with Itachi, the man surely deserved respect and yelling at this man's brother fell awkward. So he limited the visit to necessary minimum. He assigned for Sasuke a work in hospital, the obvious suggestion of Hokage, who had been always complaining about the lack of men power at her domain.

The first day of living together was plenty of awkward situations. Sasuke felt like a guest, so he didn't know how to spend his free time. He didn't talk a lot, and if he did – he rather asked Itachi and encouraged him to speak about himself. Itachi tried not to insist on getting to know everything. They came to silent agreement that the younger Uchiha's past and his detention in Konoha are taboo topics. Instead they set the house rules and chores. Sasuke was not to pry on or question Itachi's social live only because he was on bad terms practically with the whole village. The older brother had decided that he would take Sasuke in, but would not resign from his way of living or ask for permission just for his brother's satisfaction.

Although they were siblings, they hardly knew each other. Actually they had just some vague memories of their childhood. Later on their entire lives were constant battles and extreme situations. Such normal things as sharing a room with a brother or living steady life seemed a little absurd now. But Itachi did not regret his decision despite the fact that Sasuke acted reserved now. After all, leaving his younger brother was never an option. He fully understood that being a family means to be one for good and bad. His brother – his attitude, his past – irritated him, but Itachi deeply loved Sasuke.

The older Uchiha, as promised, visited Kakashi tonight. He became good friend with Sasuke's former teacher, maybe because they both were the lonely geniuses of ninja-art and had experienced loss. Hatake sticked to Uchiha also because his failed relations with Obito (and probably also Sasuke) and Itachi sticked to him because his distorted relations with his little brother. They were for each other like a poor substitute for their precious persons, like a keeper of memories, a proof these persons existed.

When Itachi came back, Sasuke was surfing on the Internet. In the kitchen there was a pot with onion soup waiting for him.

"You see? I haven't burnt the flat." Sasuke said instead of 'hello'.

"I appreciate." honestly, Itachi was surprised and glad that Sasuke showed some initiative to mend their relation. "Hey, I didn't tell you this properly, but I'm really happy to have you here and be able ..."

"Oh, come on. I don't want to hear this sentimental talk." _No talk?_ _Ok._ Instead of this Itachi came closer, sat beside Sasuke and hug him from behind. "I don't want this sentimental hugs either." younger Uchiha pushed him away and to break the awkwardness he asked the brother to bring the soup.

Itachi woke up in the night. The cold moonlight flooded their shared bedroom, carving shapes form the dark._ What time is it? Why he had woken up?_ He got up, went to the kitchen to drink some water then he went out to the balcony. Cold air freshened him up. There was almost full moon. The village visible in the dim light slept peacefully. Even now, after the whole year had passed since he returned, he had moments when unwanted feelings budded in his heart – that he didn't belong here, that the town that lay before his eyes was not his village anymore. At moments like that he desperately needed somebody. He went back to bedroom hoping that his sleeping brother, just by his presence, would bring him some comfort. When he lay down and was about to fall asleep he got an idea what could have woken him up. He heard soft, muffled sobbing. His brother was crying in his sleep. _Just how he must be broken?_ Itachi wondered but before he dared to shake Sasuke or to do anything, his brother tossed and the sobbing stopped.


	4. A look towards the past

Itachi woke up alone. The futon beside him was already rolled. Sasuke went early today. Soon older Uchiha also rushed to the work.

Itachi was respected in his job. Both his boss and his subordinates liked him and treated him well. He was second Vice-Chief of Public Order Department. Although they did policing, it was not a typical police force. Such entity had never been recreated after the Uchiha massacre. One of their task was to investigate crimes and bring criminals to justice, but crime rates were never high in Konoha. More than that, they did whole range of task that served public order and citizen well-being. Sometimes it required organizing events, participating in missions, introducing solutions for social problems. Itachi was responsible for coordinating actions of each chief unit. He was happy with his work – he felt he was needed and he found colleagues. The memories about the past laid locked deep within him. He still hadn't visited the graveyard or the remainings of Uchiha compound.

One year ago there was a lucky moment for making a comeback. After the war everybody just wanted to start anew, the old grudges and quarrels had been forgiven or at least forgotten. Although the Uchiha case didn't come up to the daylight, Hokage made a statement that Itachi was a hero and his work as a secret agent significantly helped them win the war. The blame for the massacre was put on Obito and Madara, what was actually not far from truth. Participation of Konoha in killing its own citizens was to remain undisclosed.

Everything was fine up to the moment Sasuke woke up from coma and he demanded the truth in his crazy radical way. If not for that, who knows, he may have been even pardoned completely. Instead of this, he needed to be silenced. A quick show trial had been conducted during which Sasuke threw accusation all around at the highest Konoha authorities. It wasn't a big deal then to convince the jury that he is dangerous, hatred-blinded madman.

Itachi was furious at Sasuke. When they finally had a chance for peace – and not only in macro-scale of nations - but more importantly in their own lives, his brother was destroying everything. Through all these years of living hell Itachi had dreamt of nothing but this one thing: come back to this homeland, create a home, repair bond with family, which was at this moment epitomized by Sasuke. He was furious, but bowed down before Hokage as he implored for mercy for his little brother.

Sasuke was convicted for 3 years with possibility of parole, but Itachi was quite aware of the system. The punishment could be shortened or lengthen under any pretext. Apparently it proved to be really effective as Sasuke was released only after one year. The sentence was lenient, but probably not because somebody showed mercy, but rather because Sasuke was like a snake without its venom fangs. Maybe scary, but powerless. When the young Uchiha had been brought to the village after the war, Root got their hands on him. They curved seals on his cheeks and torso that blocked out his chakra. After this he fell into coma, but when he woke up he fell into a rage and they even need to tied him up to prevent self-injury. Sasuke refuse everything and everybody. At that moment Itachi realized that soft heart won't save his brother. He decided to stop pitying him. Whatever happened to his brother was only the consequences of his own choices. The only hope for Sasuke to understand his errors was "the hard way" – a proper punishment. Itachi was furious at him.

Uchiha brothers divided between them the ambivalent attitudes people always had toward their clan. Itachi, modest and kind, soon won their liking. He epitomized the best stereotypes of Uchihas –true warriors, talented geniuses that protect Konoha. Sasuke however became a symbol of sick ambition, rebel and destroying power. They changed placed. What an irony, Itachi again was the golden boy as in their childhood, and Sasuke was disappearing in his shadow. With a bit of amusement Itachi observed as his ties with Team 7 had been growing stronger just like he was a replacement to Sasuke, the better version of Uchiha. He suspected Sakura had feelings for him, but he didn't treat the girl seriously. He made particularly good friends with Hatake, but in the same time he was aware that former teacher is in this way recuperating from previous ties with Uchihas.

"Knock, knock" the sound raised Itachi's attentions. At the glass door of his room stood Nishida Mikami, the first Vice-Chief. He noticed that deep purple lipstick she was wearing matched the color of her shirt. Mikami liked extravagancy, but was not one of this idiots women blindly following any fashion. Itachi liked intelligent women.

"Itachi-kun, are you going for a lunch with us?" The sole mentioning of food made him hungry.

"O, it's already two o'clock!" – he started to neaten the desk. Mikami went inside and propped against the drawer. Itachi noticed that the slit of her tight black skirt ended boldly high.

"Guess what Kikuta came up with" she complained about the boss. "At the weekend there going to be another training. I'm fed up with this. All the time work and work. When we will have time to live our lives!"

"The trainings aren't so bad. And you definitely can't called them work. Especially evenings, they are quite... unforgettable"

"Yea, but I would rather forget seeing our boss and half of the crew dead drunk. Actually I was thinking maybe we could go out with the small group for karaoke, but we have to put it off to the next weekend."

"Ha, my chances to learn how to sing before had just doubled"

Itachi hold the door for her and they went downstairs were other coworkers had been waiting for them. As usual they went to a small bar at the corner. Itachi was sure that at least a few of them he could call his friends.


	5. A good boy

Author's note: Thank a lot for the reviews. It feels great to recieve feedback and to know there are ppl who read it / like it. Naruto will show up but no sooner than after 3 chapters. I'm not sure about his role in the story yet, so no promises. But he is not main character in this story.

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><p>According to yesterday's order, Sasuke checked in at 6 a.m. at the hospital. He picked up the access card and was told to head to the Tsunade's cabinet. The old lady persisted that she has to personally look after the hospital, so each early morning she spent her time there.<p>

Sasuke knocked at the door and as he didn't get any answer, he walked in. Hokage was sitting behind a desk covered with tons of papers. She was drinking her coffee and skimming through documents. He bowed obediently and tactically stared at the floor.

"Well, well, with a face like this you will scare my patients. You're not an early bird, are you?" Sasuke didn't know how to answer. Was it a joke? A reproach? On the second thought he shouldn't provoke her form the start.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"Hahaha, I like the new version of you! Take one of those aprons and you'll be tidying and organizing the archives" she pointed at the half open door at the left. "Infections to green files, injuries to red ones... " she explained the details to him. "And don't disturb me!"

Sasuke bowed down again and went away to face his task.

The task was not so easy. There were a dozen or so bookcases filled with dusty files. Boxes and documents that didn't fit in on the cases were thrown around on the floor. The air smelled like and old musty library. Sasuke sighed and start working.

The work gave him a headache and throbbing pain in the lower back. Dust was covering him from head to toe. Unfortunately he did interrupt Hokage a few times because he didn't know how to classify some cases. The most often answer was: "Just put it were there's some space". Now it wasn't surprising at all that archives were in such a mess.

Yamato had told him, that the convicted usually clean public parks and roads, wearing idiotic orange outfits to be seen clearly, or work in some institutions like hospitals, hospices, and cultural facilities. And that means working with people. When they make troubles, they are sent to mines or to wood cutting. Sasuke was in the end quite pleased with his current job, especially with the fact that it didn't require meeting people. He just didn't know if he would manage to behave properly. After a year in prison, where every situation was controlled, where he knew what was expected of him (mostly just to obey) and where he had learnt to be on his own, he fell unsecure with this new "freedom". Even the guards were at least some constant thing in his life – all the time the same faces and the same caprices of them. He didn't come to terms with what they did to him, but somehow he accepted the inevitability and routine of such life. Tidying up the archives was not so bad. He was not afraid of being alone.

"Uchiha!" a clear voice called behind his back. Tsunade's sudden appearance scared him that he dropped some files at the floor.

"Well, well, you're doing a nice job here." She looked around with content. Although Sasuke was in the middle of work, the room probably hadn't been cleaned for years so any change must looked good. "I'm going to the office now. You'll be working in the laundry now."

Sasuke frowned. He knew how those big laundries looks like. They require working in teams – not the best idea for him now.

"Hokage-sama, could.. could I finish tidying up archives instead? I would manage to do it today" he ask shyly.

She eyed him carefully. The boy was too intelligent and now too obedient to try anything stupid. However lack of supervision was a privilege, a proof of trust. It was still too soon for that.

"Get your ass downstairs."

Letting himself scowl only after walking out, Sasuke walked down to the basement where the laundry was. There, immediately he was assigned to a 3-man team. Coworkers didn't speak much, mostly they instructed him how to fold sheets, how to operate machines and so on. Fast pace of work and constant instructions didn't leave any time for small talks. Sasuke somehow felt secure. Tedious work griped him into control. There was again something that was telling him what to do, what to expect. During breaks his teammates showed him indifference –neither malice nor any trial of integrating as they know he was here only for a while.

The work alone proved to be tiring. At the end of the day his legs and hands were shaking, partly because he hadn't eaten from morning. When the clock bell stroke 4 p.a., it was finally over. People were speeding homes, but not Sasuke. The boy spent an hour at the bench before the hospital, resting, then checked in at Yamato's. He was not in a hurry to come back home.

He was not in a hurry to come back home. Itachi liked his job and colleagues. He often worked over hours, because he didn't know what to do on his own when he was at home. But that has recently changed. His younger brother probably was already waiting for him. A shameful though crossed Itachi mind – that he didn't want to meet Sasuke yet. Maybe it was because always, when with Sasuke, he subconsciously expected confrontation. The things seemed good between them, but a sea of mutual harm and resentment was too much to dry out by itself. Sooner or later they would need to face it.

When Itachi came home Sasuke was cooking something.

"Tadaima" called older Uchiha. How pleasant it was to tell these words of greeting to somebody. "You are a perfect co-tenant, you know that?"

"Okaeri, nii-san. No, I just doubt in your cooking skills, that's all. How was your work?"

"Will you think I'm a freak if I say it was nice? – he took off his elegant well-polished shoes and put them in perfect line beside Sasuke's worn-out sneakers dumped in the corner.

"You don't risk your reputation, because I already know that you're freak. However I'm glad you have a job you like."

Itachi disappeared in the bathroom, just to emerge after a moment in the bathrobe and wet hairs.

"And how about you? Tsunade didn't kill you, apparently" Itachi continued as he dressed up in loose clothes in the bedroom.

"Apparently, but it was close. Come here, I'm pouring the soup."

They ate and talked about easy topics and how they spent the day. Then they watched a movie drinking beer and then again talked and talked. About their likes and dislikes, music, girls, plans for nearest future. Nothing serious but good enough to make them remember how it is to have a brother. New bridges have been build over the sea of resentments.


	6. His face

Oh, it is almost a month since I uptades the last chapter. The time runs like crazy :(

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><p>During the next days they worked out a routine. Sasuke, quietly not to wake up his brother, went out to work at 6 o'clock. Itachi stared at 9. a.m. When he was back just before 6 p.a. the younger brother was already at home preparing dinner. Generally Sasuke insisted on doing most of the chords as he didn't pay "his part of the rent". The money was not a problem – Itachi, being in an executive position, earned enough to ensure very decent life even for a huge family, but Sasuke apparently was to proud to let anybody provides for him completely. During meals there was the obligatory question "How was your wokr?". Then, they went out for a walks as Sasuke almost didn't know the rebuilt Konoha. Itachi later met colleagues for a drink, and Sasuke did shopping, read books or surfed on the Internet. When the older man was back, otouto was already in the bed, but Itachi could tell by his breath he's not sleeping yet. Itachi's fear of losing his way of living proved to be false. After all his life was almost the same, but now it was no longer empty house that awaited hin after work.<p>

The weekend was coming...

.

Yamato watched his parolee with disapproval. It was his normal expression whenever he met with Sasuke. It was Friday afternoon, the end of the first week and a time for the first evaluation. Captain was sitting behind the desk and knocking with pencil on the table.

"So, how do you like being out of prison? But don't get accustomed to it, it can end very soon." Yamato mocked.

Sasuke, sitting in the middle of the room, had learnt during this few days, that it's better to ignore him.

"Answer when I ask you! Do you like it?"

"Yes" he said quietly, focusing his sight at captain's hands – easy trick not to provoke with eye-contact but to observe what the other is doing.

"Does Brother sing you lullaby and change your diapers?"

"If you insist on offending me, sir, to bust up your low self-esteem, go ahead, I don't give a fuck about this. But Konoha owe Itachi so much that someone like you don't have any rights to say a word about him." Sasuke burst out. Well, sometimes tactic of ignoring everything is just impossible.

"You know what? Yamato raised a brow. Sasuke saw, but didn't manage to react, as Captain 'sextendig a wooden hand. The boy just felt the grip in his hairs, sudden hit and found himself nailed to the deck with his face in some papers. Yamato leant and fizzed to his ear "you failed your evaluation."

"Let me go! Get off me!" Uchiha shouted. He felt panic crawling to his belly. This sensation was something he though he left behind the prison gate. The man could do anything as Sasuke was powerless. Again he was out of control. "Get off meeee!"

"Say you're sorry!"

"I'm sorry, just let me go, sorry, SORRY!" he yelped.

Captain threw him to the ground. With discontent he noticed blood stains on the papers. He let the shithead provoke him.

"Get back on the chair" he commanded, but when he turned to face him, nobody was there anymore. The boy legged it. Yamato ran to the corridor and looked around. He didn't have to search for long. Uchiha was just behind the nearest corner. He was sitting under the wall and breathing quickly. He used his sleeve to wipe out blood coming from his nose. Yamato's and Sasuke's eyes met.

"Tomorrow morning I see you at my office. Or at prison if you continue your behaviour." angrily said the man and turned away. Fighting some shitty punk was not worth his nerves.

.

Sasuke studied his face critically in the mirror. Fortunately there was no visible sign of today's incident with Captain. Pale skin contrasted with the blackness of the chakra seals and his hairs. Although he'd never been fat, his cheeks had always looked full. But not any more. Prison transformed his look more successfully than years of deadly trainings and constant battles. Cheek bones still gave his face characteristic feature, but now it was more angular. Under the eyes black bags started to appear. He didn't sleep well. He knew that sleep didn't come because he was too tired with this bad kind of tiredness. Sasuke was dealing everyday with a monotonous, addling job. He didn't actually work hard but still he couldn't rest. He missed real physical tiredness that comes after hard training and leaves only when you wake up morning after solid sleep. If he managed to drift away at night, he had nightmares. Fortunately Itachi hasn't notices it; there was no need to worry him more than necessary.

Sasuke hated his face, because it was so delicate, almost feminine. He hated that he had to wear his face like a mask – smile politely, conceal irritation. But first and foremost he hated the chakra seals, which burned his soul on every thought about them. They were a symbol of the control over him, of the ownership. The seals on his body were destroying the very core of him even more, but he had learnt to ignore them. They remained always hidden under the clothes and when he washed he did it with mechanical fast movement to avoid seeing them. Sometimes in prison he thought that first think he would do after getting out would be to curved out the black patterns with a razor. Of course he wouldn't get his chakra back, but the scars would be his choice, his seal demonstrating the power over his own body.

He splashed water on his face and got out of the bathroom. Enough of these thoughts. He should do some home chords. He needed something to distract his mind. In the small flat there was not much to do. Yesterday he already vacuumed, made a laundry and now he ironed a bit. Today there was no cooking as Itachi planed to take him to ramen bar to "celebrate" Sasuke's first week of freedom. Maybe nii-san wanted to make up for him that he was leaving for weekend.


End file.
